Internationals Women’s Day & Gender Equality

As International Women’s Day is celebrated across the Globe, the issue of gender equality is at the forefront of our minds more than ever.

We read with interest this article from Business Insider magazine published today (8 March 2018) which highlights the worst countries for women around the world and focusses on the Global Gap Index created by the World Economic Forum (WEF) over 10 years ago.

The article says that:

“The most recent report, published in November 2017, analyses four main dimensions: economic participation and opportunity, educational attainment, health and survival, and political representation. Looking at 144 countries, the WEF concludes that an average global gender gap of 32% remains, compared to 31.7% in 2016. Globally, the widest gaps between women and men exist in economic opportunity and political representation.”

Though the examples outlined in this example are extreme, there are still female employees in the UK who are not only affected by issues such as pay discrepancies and advancement to senior positions, but also sexual harassment in the workplace.

So, for all employers, there’s never been a more important time for strong leadership, comprehensive action and an empowering environment. Enabling employees to bring their best selves to work and creating respect for each other will foster an inclusive culture that’s good for both men and women and ultimately your bottom line too.

HCHR works with a number of businesses across the UK to ensure that equality and diversity are part and parcel of everyday business and integral, not imposed, within an organisation’s culture.